1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector housing mounted in an engine compartment of e.g. automobiles. More specifically, the invention concerns an electrical connector housing suitably protected from water penetration.
2. Description of Background Information
FIGS. 1 and 2 show the structure of a known electrical connector housing mounted in a car's engine compartment.
As shown in FIG. 1, such an electrical connector housing 51 comprises a hollow lower shell 52, inside of which is fixed an electrical-parts fitting block 53. An upper shell 54 is then placed over the open side of the lower shell 52.
The upper surface of the electrical-parts fitting block 53 is provided with a plurality of equipment-fixing ports 53a. As shown by long and short dotted lines in FIG. 2, these ports are mounted with various electrical parts 57 such as relays and fusible links.
The lower shell 52 has a first fixing mount 55, which extends outwardly from the outer side face 52a of the lower shell 52 and freely engages with, or disengages from, the upper shell 54. The first fixing mount 55 has a first hook 55a, the edge of which projects towards the outer side face 52a of the lower shell 52. Likewise, the upper shell 54 has a second fixing mount 56 which extends outwardly from the outer side face of the upper shell 54 at a position corresponding to that of the first fixing mount 55, and engages therewith. The second fixing mount has a second hook 56a which projects outwardly, whereby the first and second hooks 55a and 56a are locked, when the upper shell 54 is superposed on the lower shell 52.
The electric parts block 53 is thus contained in, and protected by, the lower shell 52. Further, the opening of the lower shell 52 is closed and protected by the upper shell 54. In such a structure, the electrical-parts fitting block can be efficiently protected from water penetration or water spray.
However, such an electrical connector housing 51 carries first and second fixing mounts 55 and 56 at the outer side faces 52a and 54a of the respective lower shell 52 and upper shell 54. These fixing mounts 55 and 56 project outwardly from the lower and upper shells 52 and 54. The electrical connector housing 51 is thus made larger by a space needed for forming these fixing mounts 55 and 56. This naturally requires a larger space for installing the electrical connector housing 51 in the engine compartment.
To counter this problem, there has been proposed a second type of electrical connector housing 61, shown in FIG. 3, in which first and second fixing mounts 55 and 56 are formed on the upper face of the lower shell 52. In this construction, the fixing mounts 55 and 56 are placed on a locus of the electrical-parts fitting block 53 outside the equipment-fixing ports 53a. This is explained by the fact that such a locus with no equipment-fixing port 53a need not be protected by the upper shell 54.
Accordingly, in the second type electrical connector housing 61, the enlarged size, with respect to the first type electrical connector housing 51, is avoided by omitting the outward projection of the fixing mounts 55 and 56.
Instead, however, the second type of electrical connector housing 61 of FIG. 3 must be provided with a vertically formed draw hole 62 at a position of upper face of lower shell 52 where the first fixing mount 55 is formed. The formation of the draw hole 62 becomes necessary when the lower shell 52 is formed by a die which undergoes stamping in the direction V shown in FIG. 3. Furthermore, this draw hole 62 is indispensable when a hook 55a is formed on the first fixing mount 55.
However, when such a draw hole 62 is formed in the lower shell 52, the housing becomes susceptible to water penetration through the draw hole 62. The penetrating water then reaches the connecting portions between electrical parts 57 and their fixing ports 53a, thereby causing malfunctioning of the electrical parts.
In order to avoid water penetration, it may be contemplated to have a lower shell 52 having no draw hole 62. However, such a construction would require stamping in a direction other than direction V. The construction of dies to be used for such a stamping stroke may then become very complex, and would increase the manufacturing costs of dies and, as a result, product costs.